About this work
While masked balls were initially an elite affair, by the 1830s they were attracting revellers from all walks of life. From midnight to dawn, social hierarchies vanished in the whirlwind of costumes and dances. A carnival costume could disguise anyone, from a cobbler to a wealthy dandy, and many young women hoped to make a fortunate acquaintance. Indeed, one contemporary journalist overheard a woman tell a man who claimed to be a broker, ‘For us, a masked ball is our stock exchange.’